Causa criminal — incest/rape by a stepfather (CLOSED). Per comisionado Manuel Rodríguez's report, Cornelio Rosales (of Branciforte; 41 años, natural de San Luis Obispo, casado con María Luisa Robles[?]) impregnated his stepdaughter María Antonia Sepúlveda and committed estupro on his goddaughter (hijada de bautismo) María Josefa; younger sisters María Paula & María Inés also implicated, the children sleeping together. Timoteo Vásquez offered to marry María Antonia & 'take the blame.' Conflicting careos: María Antonia & María Paula affirm Cornelio violated them; Rosales & María Josefa deny. Dictamen fiscal (Martínez): estupro 'plenamente justificado,' aggravated by mal ejemplo & público escándalo 'abriendo las puertas á muchos para que sigan sus maldades'; recommends Rosales removed from the Province — 4 años de trabajos públicos con grillete al pie at the presidio de San Diego. Penances for the girls (azotes by their mother's hand, in the girls' room at Mission Santa Cruz): María Josefa 50 azotes; María Antonia 50 azotes + 1 month arrest; Paulita 25 azotes; the mother a stern reprimand. Tied to the 'revolución de los insurgentes' (Bouchard period, Dec 1818) at Buena Vista rancho; midwife examinations confirmed abuse. Orig. pp.348–368.
| Date | 1819-09-18 → 1819 (dictamen) (exact) |
|---|---|
| From | Ignacio Martínez, Tte. de caballería, juez fiscal |
| Place | San Francisco / Branciforte / Santa Cruz |
| Series | Provincial State Papers, Benicia (Military) |
| Tomo | XL–LII (volume range; this entry is not resolved to one tomo) |
| Original tomo page | pp.348–368 |
| Savage copy page | 307–319 |
| Scan leaf | n306–n319 |
| Document type | verbatim transcription |
| Source | verbatim transcription |
Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n306–n319
Ignacio Martínez, Tte. de caballería, juez fiscal, San Francisco / Branciforte / Santa Cruz, 1819-09-18 → 1819 (dictamen), Provincial State Papers, Benicia (Military), XL–LII, pp.348–368, Archives of California, C-A 17, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. [the tomo is given as the volume’s full range: this entry has not been resolved to a single tomo within XL–LII]Cite the document by series, tomo and original tomo page, as the literature does; the C-A number locates it in the repository. To cite this catalogue entry itself, use https://archivesofcalifornia.com/record/ca17/ca17-d348.html